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Loose Blues News
Sue Foley rocks out with Jack de Keyzer and the rest of the Maple Blues Band at the 6th Annual Maple Blues Awards. Photo by Roxy Fields
Canada's blues queen, singer, songwriter and guitarist Sue Foley, swept the Maple Blues Awards once again, taking home awards in five categories.
For the third year in a row, Foley picked up awards as entertainer of the year and female vocalist of the year. She was thrilled to be voted songwriter of the year. It is "a very special award," she told the wall-to-wall crowd at the Phoenix last month.
Foley paid tribute to her band, who stood beside her at the podium while she accepted the award for electric act of the year. "There wouldn't be an electric act of the year if I didn't have my band with me there in the trenches," she said. Tom Bona, who plays in Foley's band got the drummer of the year award.
Finally, Colin Linden's award as producer of the year, for Foley's latest critically acclaimed recording, Where The Action Is, was accepted by Foley's manager, Anne Forbes.
Foley, a killer guitarist with a riveting stage presence, joined a couple of other top guitarists, Jack de Keyzer and David Gogo, on stage at the Phoenix. Gogo picked up the Guitarist of the Year award.
Foley has forged her own style from her musical influences, which range from the blues greats to the Rolling Stones. Her pungent voice harks back to Memphis Minnie and her songwriting has received many critical nods of approval.
But awards and accolades are bonuses, Foley says. She loves to play and she loves a party. She plainly had a good time at the Phoenix, where she played with the spectacular Maple Blues Band, which gets better every year. "They're all great musicians and it's great to be in a room with them," Foley said.
Sue was also just nominated for a W. C. Handy Award in the Contemporary Blues: Female Artist of the Year category. The awards are being held in Memphis on May 22, 2003
Other artists honoured at the Maple Blues include Harry Manx, winner for acoustic act of the year. "It's so lovely to be recognized by all you guys," he said when he took his turn at the podium.
New artist of the year David Rotundo was clearly moved when he accepted his award. "It's all about the music," he said. "The blues music is way bigger than us.
Stony Plain's Holger Petersen accepted the international artist of the year award for Duke Robillard. "He sincerely loves blues and he spends every day on the road and in his basement studio," Petersen said. "He's going to appreciate his."
Bass player of the year and quiet guy, Gary Kendall, burst out of his shell to thank the many people who have offered him words of encouragement. "I don't say much, but I really appreciate it," he said.
Keyboard player of the year was Kenny "Blues Boss" Wayne, horn player of the year was Pat Carey and the harp award went to Michael Pickett. Pickett, on behalf of the other nominees in the category, accepted the award in the memory of Richard Newell, King Biscuit Boy.
Fathead's John Mays received the male vocalist award, for the second year in a row, and had the crowd in his hand while he performed with the band.
The winner of the Blues With A Feeling award, Chuck Jackson, says he was surprised that he won because the other nine nominees in the category are luminaries of the Canadian blues scene.
Jackson, who sings with the Downchild Blues Band, among others, and co-founded Port Credit's Southside Shuffle, was visibly moved while he gave his acceptance speech. He recalled that his lifelong love of music began when he saw Fats Domino on American Bandstand and joked about receiving a lifetime achievement award "at 27. Downchild has really aged me," he said.
At the end of the awards presentation, blues booster of the year Andrew Galloway, who heads Electro-Fi Records, observed that blues music has survived at least 100 years. "Let's hope it survives another century," he said.
- Ruth Schweitzer
More Loose Blues News:

A CD release party will celebrate the Dylan Wickens Band's second recording, Fall Down Go Boom!, at The Silver Dollar Room on Valentine's Day, Friday February 14, 2003. We're advised that "the new CD reflects the stylistic changes the band has gone through over the last couple years. It encompasses strong elements of bop, swing and Chicago blues. The lineup at this performance will be the same as on the recording: Dylan Wickens (guitar/vocal), Flip Townson (tenor sax), Greg Cooper (drums), and Harpo (bass). More info at www.dwproject.tv.

Canadian Connections in the U.S. Blues Foundation's WC Handy Award nominations: Ottawa's Sue Foley has been nominated for Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year (in impressive company with Deborah Coleman, Marcia Ball, Shemekia Copeland, and Susan Tedeschi). Electro-Fi recording artist Snooky Pryor received three nominations: Traditional Blues Male Artist of the Year, Blues Instrumentalist - Harmonica, and Traditional Blues Album of the Year for his Electro-Fi release Snooky Pryor and his Mississippi Wrecking Crew, which was recorded at Alec Fraser's Liquid Sound studio in Toronto. Fellow "Wrecking Crew" members Pinetop Perkins (keyboards), Bob Stroger (bass), and Willie "Big Eyes" Smith (drums) also received Handy nominations as Best Blues Instrumentalists. NorthernBlues recording artist Otis Taylor was doubly nominated, for Acoustic Blues Artist of the Year, and Contemporary Blues Album of the Year for Respect the Dead, while Stony Plain recording artists Duke Robillard and Sonny Rhodes were also nominated in the Blues Instrumentalist categories, for guitar and lap steel, respectively. The 24th annual W.C. Handy awards wil be presented in Memphis on May 22, 2003.
Chuck Jackson (left) steps away from the podium with his "Blues With A Feeling" Lifetime Achievement Award. Photo by Kris King
More Ottawa awards: The Ottawa BluesFest has won the Blues Foundation's Keeping the Blues Alive Award for their Blues in the Schools program, hot on the heels of winning another international award for their marketing.
And speaking of awards: Dawn Tyler Watson and Corey Diabo received France's BottleNet International Screamin' Jay Hawkins Award for Best Concert or Best Tour by an International Artist, an award given to an international artist who has provided an outstanding tour in France during the reference period. Information is available at www.bottlenet.org/laureats/laureats_2002.html.
And the Grammy Nominations Are: The nominees in the 45th Annual Grammy Awards, for recordings released during the eligibility year October 1, 2001 through September 30, 2002, include: for Best Traditional Blues Album (Vocal or Instrumental), Burnside On Burnside by R.L. Burnside (Fat Possum Records), 35th Anniversary Jam Of The James Cotton Blues Band by the James Cotton Blues Band (Telarc Blues), Down In The Alley by Alvin Youngblood Hart (Memphis International), A Christmas Celebration Of Hope by B.B. King (MCA Records), and Preachin' The Blues: The Music Of Mississippi Fred McDowell by Various Artists (Randy Labbe, producer, Telarc Blues), and for Best Contemporary Blues Album (Vocal or Instrumental), Don't Give Up On Me by Solomon Burke (Fat Possum Records/Anti), Burnin' Down The House by Etta James & The Roots Band (Private Music), Room To Breathe by Delbert McClinton (New West Records), One Night In America by Charlie Musselwhite (Telarc Blues), and 51 Phantom by North Mississippi Allstars (Tone-Cool Records). It's also of note that Toronto musician Jane Bunnett, a TBS Women's Blues Revue band alumna, was nominated for a Grammy for best Latin jazz record, for her recording Alma De Santiago.
Where else would you find Canada's Big Three blues label honchos at the same place at the same time? The 2003 Blues Summit, of course! Andrew Galloway (Electro-Fi), Fred Litwin (NorthernBlues) and Holger Petersen (Stony Plain) (pictured at right) give attendees the "411" on making and selling blues records in Canada. Photo by Eric Thom
NorthernBlues News: President Fred Litwin lived up to his promise that NorthernBlues Music would have some exciting announcements. They have signed Toni Lynn Washington, one of North America's premier blues vocalists, with a career that spans four decades and stretches from Boston to New Orleans to Hollywood. In addition to four previous W.C. Handy nominations, she has been nominated this year for a Handy Award as Soul/Blues Female Artist of the Year. Her first NorthernBlues release, Been Too Long, was produced by Duke Robillard, and will be launched in May 2003.
Johnny's Blues: In June 2003, NorthernBlues Music will be releasing a blues Tribute to Johnny Cash, executive produced by Colin Linden, and featuring an impressive line-up of artists including Chris Thomas King (Rock Island Line), Corey Harris (Redemption), Alvin Youngblood Hart (Sunday Morning Coming Down), Gatemouth Brown (Get Rhythm), Mavis Staples (Will The Circle Be Unbroken), Maria Muldaur (Jackson), Sleepy LaBeef (Frankie's Man Johnny), Kevin Breit (Send a Picture of Mother), Harry Manx (Long Black Veil), Paul Reddick (Train of Love), Blackie & the Rodeo Kings (Folsom Prison Blues), Colin Linden (Big River), and others yet to be announced.
Reports of my death are an exaggeration: This Mark Twain quote applies to a phoenix rising from the ashes, or, at least, another club, Blues on Bellair. Although owners Diane & Peter Jermyn announced that they would be closing on New Year's, they received a reprieve from their Yorkville landlord. After the emotionally draining task of packing up the club, they then unpacked, and returned the PA and organ to the club, and January saw ad hoc jam sessions and fundraisers. They now hope that, if they can survive the lean winter months, and make it to the busier summer months, then the bar will become a destination "landmark" once the movie based on Diane's screenplay of their bar experiences is released in the fall. Although the family-run business is very supportive of the music community, and features very good food, and is run with a shipload full of heart, four out of five experienced waitresses recommend that what Blues on Bellair needs is an investment in a couple of professional waitstaff who can get drinks and food on the tables and dishes off. The owners are looking for an investment partner, however. How about frequent patron Prince?
And speaking of club closings: London Ontario's spot for blues, Boomerz, will be closing at the end of February, as it has been sold. The final Saturday night at Boomerz, February 22, will feature Big Daddy G w/Tortoise Blue. Mel Brown, Fathead, Jeff Healey are among the bands scheduled before the club closes it doors for good.

Raoul's "back": Raoul Bhaneja, of Raoul and the Big Time, underwent routine back surgery in late January. Harpist & vocalist Dr. Nick filled in with the Big Time for their scheduled dates during Raoul's recovery. Raoul will be "back" performing by the end of February, and then will also be a featured actor in The Domino Heart, a new play by Matthew Edison receiving its world premiere at Toronto's Tarragon Theatre in late March.
Talkin Blues Again: Mako Funasaka's documentary series, Talkin Blues, is being repeated on Bravo at the unlikely hour of 8 am. The re-airing of the 6-episode series commenced on January 20th. Can you program your VCR?
A good drummer is hard to find: But Toronto is a magnet and we have reports of two formidable stickmen, one just relocated back here and the other on his way. Al Webster is best known for his recent work with Amanda Marshall but he's a blues lover (he took in many Summit activities) who just returned from the West coast performing with Robben Ford, Colin James and Long John Baldry. More on Al at www.yamaha.ca (click on artists) or directly at (416) 727-3841. Tony "Oulabula" Bazley, from New Orleans, is looking for a downtown rental in Toronto starting mid March. If you have a space, contact Chris Rawlins, wrenfolk@interlog.com or contact Tony in Belgium at 011 32 0485 86 46 62. Address: rue de Rotterdam #50, 4000 Liege, Belgium
In the studio: Fruteland Jackson has been recording a future release for the Electro-Fi label at Alec Fraser's Liquid recording studio, with special guests Chris Whiteley, Ken Whiteley and Mel Brown. Other projects we can expect in the next few months are new albums by David Rotundo, Pete Schmidt and Shane Scott, Brian Blain and maybe even the (very) young blues sensation Jimmy Bowskill.
To mark their 15th anniversary, Fife House presents 'Rhythms for Life' , an exciting evening of music and magic, at The Capitol Event Theatre, on Wednesday, February 26, 2003. There will be a silent auction and a cash bar with hors d'oeuvres provided throughout the evening. Ticket price is $125.00. The first half of the Jazz music portion that will feature our Jazz Divas Alex Pangman, Sophie Milman, Sara Latandresse, along with crooner George Evans and Molly Johnson. After an auction break, they will move into the second half of our show which will feature a line-up of extraordinary Blues Diva's including B.J. Reed, Ricky Day, Shakura S'Aida, and Jackie . The stellar trio of Bill King, Archie Alleyne and Artie Roth will back this amazing array of vocalists www.fifehouse.org/index.aspx
Chuck Jackson's Day Off: The Downchild vocalist and harp player took a "busman's holiday" last month - while vacationing in New Orleans, he performed two gigs in Metairie, just outside New Orleans, at the popular club Sweets Again, with Louisiana Hall of Famer Johnny Pennino, the "Sax King of New Orleans", who was a favourite at Jackson's Southside Shuffle Blues Festival last September in Port Credit. Between gigs, Chuck and Johnny sat in with many of Johnny's musician friends at other popular clubs in New Orleans and Metairie.
Happy Birthday Hawk: Last month, on January 10, 2003, Ronnie Hawkins turned 68. It's reported that his cancer's not spreading, and he's in excellent spirits. He celebrated his birthday at the Red Dog in Peterborough, with some of his buddies including members his band, the Hawks, and Garth Hudson, keyboard and sax player with The Band.
And speaking of birthdays: Long John Baldry's annual birthday bash was held in Vancouver at the Commodore Ballroom on January 18th, with Jerry Cook, Johnny Ferreria, and Steve Hilliam on sax, Vince Mai on trumpet, Norm Fisher on bass (Brian Adams), Eric Webster on piano & organ (Roch Voisine), Al Webster on drums (Amanda Marshall), and special guest Robben Ford on guitar, among other guests. For more information, check out www.longjohnbaldry.com.
A Northern Ontario Blues Society?: Peter Sabourin, better known as Sab, is helping put together a new 400-seat club in Sudbury, the 100 Georges, that will open in June, a sister club to the 200-seater in North Bay by the same name, and both cater to the blues. Sab and his associates are starting to form a blues society in the northland and already have a list of about 200 interested people. For further information, contact Sab at 705-752-4212.
Festival Season Opening: The 8th Annual Orillia Spring Blues Festival will take place April 24-27, 2003. A list of venues and performers will soon be available at www.orilliaspringblues.com. Band submissions are solicited: For consideration, submit a press kit and audio sample by mail to Orillia Spring Blues Festival, c/o Bill Beardwood, 394 Bayview Parkway, Orillia, on L3V 3Y2.
The 8th Annual Great Woods Music Festival has been announced for August 8-10, 2003. Great Woods Park is a 120-acre private park on the banks of the Brokenhead River, near Beausejour, Manitoba, a beautiful natural setting for blues and roots acts. To attend or perform at this unique festival, contact Great Woods Music Festival, Box 1332, Beausejour, Manitoba R0E 0C0, 204-268-2814, www.greatwoodspark.com.
The 11th edition of the Maximum Blues Festival in northeastern Quebec will be held August 6-10 2003. The host town of Carleton is on Baie-des-Chaleurs, in Eastern Quebec, where Quebec meets northern New Brunswick. The site is beautiful, with the sea on one side and the mountains on the other, the festival takes care of its artists, and is reasonable to attend, and the audience members are very supportive and welcoming. The programme director has announced a call for submissions, so interested performers can submit their latest CD, a press kit, and a quoted price for a festival appearance to Pierre Menard, Director, Maximum Blues, 521, boul. Perron, C.P. 10, Carleton, Québec G0C 1J0, 418-364-6008, (fax 418-364-6922), maxblues@globetrotter.net, pierremenard@globetrotter.net, www.maximumblues.net.
And the East Coast Blues Society is organizing it's First Annual Blues Festival in Halifax, Nova Scotia, scheduled for August 22 to 24, 2003. The festival is calling for any submissions: contact Eileen Kaiser, eileen.kaiser@dal.ca.
Sweet Baby James: "Sweet Baby" James Meston writes from Australia to advise that photos of his past summer's Canadian tour (as well as mp3s) are available on his website, www.sweetbabyjames.tk. He reports that "I had the great thrill of being in Canada and playing last summer. You have an awesome country with an incredible blues scene; I miss it so much! So many people were incredibly supportive of my tour which touched me deeply. I hope to be back later this year with a new album tucked in my rucksack".
First Annual Western Canadian Music Awards: In a move to unite the musical spirit of Western Canada, the Prairie Music Alliance has expanded to include two new regions, forming the Western Canadian Music Alliance. The Western Canadian Music Awards, as the event will be known, will now recognize and celebrate the music and achievements of all Western Canadian artists and industry members. Prairie Music Week, an annual conference, festival and awards show hosted on a rotating basis in each of the Prairie Provinces, was established in 1999 by the Prairie Music Alliance. In December 2002, the PMA, made up of the Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta industry associations, unanimously agreed to support a new alliance which would include the Pacific Music Industry Association in British Columbia, and the Recording Arts Industry in Yukon, forming the WCMA. "This is by far the most exciting and positive development in the Canadian music industry in years," said an elated JP Ellson, former president of the PMA and newly elected president of the WCMA, when the deal was finally done. "This is something we have been considering for some time, and with the overwhelming support from all five participating industry associations it was clear that we needed to move forward, be inclusive and support the region we all create, work, and live in." The Western Canadian Music Awards will include a music festival, conference, and award show with the goal of promoting and celebrating Western Canadian Music. "As with Prairie Music Week, special emphasis will be placed on performance, networking, mentoring, and educational opportunities for independent labels, artists and managers, and those interested in building a healthy and vibrant state in which the industry may flourish," said executive director Thom Sparling. "The spirit of Prairie Music Week - the thing that has always been our greatest asset, and the attribute that has always set our conference, festival and awards show apart from all the others in North America, will certainly carry over to the new Western Canadian Music Awards . So far we've been the `little one that could,' and we want to maintain that integrity while opening the event up to support all Western Canadians," added Sparling. Adhering to the schedule previously laid out by the Prairie Music Alliance, the first annual WCMAs will be in Regina September 25 to 29th, 2003, followed by Calgary. Vancouver will host the 2005 WMCAs, and the event will continue to rotate through participating regions. For further information, contact Thom Sparling, Executive Director, Western Canadian Music Awards, thom@prairiemusicweek.com.
We remember: Josephine Payne, beloved wife of Sunshine Sonny Payne, the host of the King Biscuit Flour Hour, passed away last month in Helena, Arkansas. Sunshine has asked that memorials be sent to St. Mary's Catholic Church Building Fund, 123 Columbia Street, Helena, AR 72342. Cards or letters can be forwarded to Sonny Payne, c/o SBBS, PO Box 237, Helena, AR 72342, or email Sonny at blues@cox-internet.com.
Keeping the Blues Alive, by Bob Herbert, from the New York Times, January 20th, 2003: The United States Senate has declared 2003 as the "Year of the Blues", and has urged the president to issue a proclamation to that effect. It's very difficult to overstate the cultural importance of the blues, which have been around about 100 years, were crucial to the overall development of jazz and gave birth about a half-century ago to a boisterous new music called rock `n' roll. The blues, powerful and bitter and mean and hopeful and funny, grew out of the brutally degraded condition of black Americans in the early decades of the 20th century. The music was like a salve to the raw wounds of men and women working literally like slaves in the cotton fields and corn fields of the Mississippi Delta, or struggling against the dire poverty and grotesque racism of other Deep South venues, or trying to survive on domestic and janitorial work in the unforgiving environs of the industrial north. These were lives condemned to poverty and tragedy and desperation. Opportunities were few and life expectancies were pathetically short. And yet the people endured. The blues provided the soundtrack. "I got to keep moving," sang Robert Johnson, perhaps the greatest bluesman of them all. "I got to keep moving, blues falling down like hail, blues falling down like hail. . . . And the day keeps `minding me, there's a hellhound on my trail, hellhound on my trail, hellhound on my trail." Now hold onto your hats, folks, because that music is about to make a comeback.
Filmmaker Martin Scorsese and some of his associates are raising the curtain today on a dandy project. "This is special," he said in an interview last week. Mr. Scorsese and six other directors, including Wim Wenders, Mike Figgis and Clint Eastwood, are nearing completion of seven feature-length films about the blues. Excerpts from five of the films will be shown today at the Sundance Film Festival. All seven films will be shown on PBS next fall as the centerpiece of an even bigger project called "Year of the Blues." This will include a 13-part public radio series on the history of the blues, a companion book of rarely seen archival material, and a traveling blues exhibition and education program that the sponsors hope will reach up to five million children. The "Year of the Blues" will begin more or less officially with a benefit concert at Radio City Music Hall in New York on Feb. 7. The film project began about five years ago when Mr. Scorsese was the executive producer on a concert film with Eric Clapton in which footage of blues musicians from the past was used. From that, said Mr. Scorsese, "came the idea of doing a series of films that would honor the history of the blues." The films are not straight narratives, or documentaries, but rather what Mr. Scorsese calls "interpretive, personal looks at the blues." "The idea," he said, "was to take the archival footage, and then to take journeys, interpretive looks at the blues, and create an awareness for young people that, first, this is an art form, and then to understand how it happened, where it came from and how it continues." Mr. Scorsese's film, From Mali to Mississippi, is not yet finished. "I hope to complete it by March," he said. It goes all the way back to the antecedents of the blues on "the banks of the Niger River in Mali" and then follows the progression of the music to the cotton fields and juke joints of the Mississippi Delta.
- Julie Hill

Muchas Gracias

Dan Kershaw was on the receiving end of a lot of praise for pulling it all together on the biggest project the TBS has ever undertaken but in his usual unassuming and modest fashion, he has posted his own list of nominees for the "Behind the Maple Blues" Awards. We thought we should pass it along to our members:

- Erin Benjamin, Executive Director of the Ontario Council of Folk Festivals, upon whose conference the summit was modelled; she came all the way from Sudbury for expenses to help guide us through this process, and her experience and energy were vital.
- Valerie Chamberlin, who, given the vaguest scraps of information (or non-information), was able to 1) scrounge up the volunteers to staff 2 merch operations on Saturday night (kinda like fighting a war on 2 fronts); 2) persuade gainfully employed folks to take the day off to help us for free at the hotel on Monday (as well as Sat & Sun); 3) persuade volunteers to deal with a whole mess o' pick-ups on Monday night, in the teeth of a biting cold night, while people wined and dined inside the venue.
- Pamela Brennan of NorthernBlues, who liaised with the panelists and helped wrangle them into place on time for their summit panels
- Julia Smith, a newbie TBS volunteer who hung tight all day at the summit Monday, picking up the panel liaison role from Pamela on the Monday with gusto.
- Mike Smith (hmm, are they related?), for being the "whatever else needs doing" guy all weekend long - banking, photocopying, couriering, bag stuffing, loading the van, unloading the van....
- Larry McCarthy, for volunteering his van, his good humour, and his professional self in transporting our guests from the airport on Saturday, in addition to his other volunteer duties during the event.
- Sherrill Middleton, going non-stop from Friday night to sort merchandise, Saturday night at the Dollar, Sunday night at Healeys and Monday after going to work she came to the Summit, helped for the afternoon and then on the the MBA to help with setup.
- Ed Parsons. Not only does Ed keep things running smoothly with the newsletter distribution but he also helped out Saturday night along with the Summit on Sunday, going with the flow as he was re-assigned from one job to the next and filling in for the volunteers who didn't make it.
- BITS Program Director Alex Sinclair, who called looking to buy a pass and ended up doing the lion's share of the transport duty in his valiant Pontiac Sunbird - on time, reliable as an ole' slant six.
- Brian Blain, for hooking us up with last-minute signmaker Lynne Shields; for pitching in on the transport duty (and being a good sport when it transpired that Dick Waterman had left without him), plus the usual rabbit-out-of-a-hat stuff vis-a-vis creating the program booklet.
- Julie Hill, for handling the catering logistics for both events, and for pretty much shouldering all the logistics of the MBA's while i was awol in summit-land.
- Lily Sazz, for coordinating the showcases: "oh, showcase related? talk to Lily"...my, how good it felt to be able to say that
- Colin Puffer, Dave Lang, and Jason La Prade of CP Real Productions, who stepped in at the last minute to provide sound reinforcement for the panels (at a fifth of what the hotel would have charged)
- Leslie Anderton of the Delta Chelsea, who changed out of her corporate power suit and understood that this event was *not* about the latest sales figures, but was about being on the "blues planet" wavelength.
- Rick Battiston, who manned the fort and took the myriad phone calls in the days leading up to and during the event.
- John Valenteyn, host with the most, Gary for keeping it real, and Derek for the vision and the guidance.
And all the other fabulous volunteers:
Shirley Hunter
Sharon Evans
Elizabeth Hartenberger
Colleen Kenny
Shirley Gibson
Lee Trian
Paul Denyes
Zoe Chilco
Diane Creighton
Ruth Schweitzer
Jacquie Houston

Tech Tips

The life expectancy of a tube varies greatly according to the amount of use it gets, and the parameters of the electronic circuit in which it operates, and weather it is a pre-amp, power or rectifier tube. As tubes get older they distort a little easier, and generally start to lose the ability to amplify higher frequencies. This may be exactly the sound you are looking for, but beware that eventually you will have to replace the tubes, and the sound may change quite a bit. If you are using your amplifier every week for about 12 hours or more, you may find after a year or so that your amp no longer sounds as loud as it once did. This usually means that it s time to replace the power tubes. When replacing the power tubes it is a good idea to have a technician check that the bias is adjusted correctly for the new power tubes so the tubes will operate correctly in the circuit. With some amps the new power tubes could end up running hotter, thereby reducing the life expectancy of the tubes, or potentially causing tube failure and burning out another component such as an output transformer (a very costly replacement). Pre-amp tubes generally will last a lot longer, and not need to be replaced as often. A common condition of pre-amp tubes is when they go microphonic. This means that a pre-amp tube emits a squeal at higher volumes, and will actually amplify vibrations in the chassis of the amp. Finding a microphonic tube is easy. Remove any tube covers, and with nothing plugged into the amp, turn up the volume quite high. Tap each tube on the bottom with your finger and listen for your tapping to be amplified. The microphonic tube will amplify your tapping a lot more than the others. As well there will be a ringing or resonance when you tap it.

Changing tubes for a different sound
Now that we understand how to take care of our tubes, the next step is swapping a different tube for a tonal change. The smaller tubes in an amp are called pre-amp tubes. The large ones are the power tubes. There is another type of tube that some amps use called a rectifier tube that is actually part of the power supply for the amp. Pre-amp tubes are the simplest tubes to swap out for tonal changes. The pre-amp tubes are almost always 12AX7, 12AT7, or sometimes 12AY7. The 12AX7 is the most common tube in a musical instrument amplifier, it is sometimes referred to as a 7025 which was actually a more robust version. If you have a vintage piece of tube gear there were a variety of other possible pre-amp tubes in use in the past that are not easily available now or just impossible to get. This means that substitutions will have to be made on the advice of an experienced amp technician. While each of the tubes in the 12A*7 family is a different tube with different gain characteristics, they can theoretically be substituted for each other with varying degrees of success. Each manufacturer has a slightly different way of manufacturing its tubes. This means that you may find a 12AX7 from one company that sounds different than that of another company. In fact it is possible that two tubes from the same manufacturer can sound different due to inconsistencies in the manufacturing process. You probably won't like the sound of a 12AT7 substituted for a 12AX7, but if all you had was a spare 12AT7, and needed the amp to work, this substitution would work. If your amp used a 12AY7 in the pre-amp section, substituting a 12AX7 would give you more gain and distortion. Conversely substituting a 12AY7 for a 12AX7 would lower the gain and clean up the sound of the amp a bit. An interesting point here is that fender used the 12AY7 tube in their pre-amp section during the fifties, until the 12AX7 became widely available. This substitution of an AY7 for an AX7 is an easy way to get a cleaner sound more reminiscent of the fifties era amps. The pre-amp tube most easily swapped out for tonal change is the tube that is the first pre-amp tube in the amp. Single channel amps will have it labeled V1, in dual channel amps it will have be labeled V1 or V2, depending on which channel you use. The first channel will be V1, with the second channel being V2. Once the tube has cooled down, take off the metal pre-amp tube covers if they exist (a quarter turn in one direction will unlock them), and gently pull the tube straight out of the socket. All tubes are keyed so that they can only be inserted one way into a tube socket, look at the bottom of the tube and line up the pin orientation with the socket. Gently push the tube straight into the socket while gripping the insulated base of the tube until it is firmly seated all the way. Experiment with the same tube made by different manufacturers, or with another tube amongst the 12A*7 family. You may find a sound that you like.
Norman Robinson works as a Technical Engineer at Manta Digital Sound & Picture, as well he is the band leader and guitarist for The VooDoo Kings, and Howlin' Mercy.
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